Improvement in middlings-separators



S. L. BEAN.

MIDDLINGS'SEPARATOR.

No.183,333. Patented M a .rch 13, 1877.

I Inverzior. I

N. PEIERS, PHOTO LTHOGRAPM NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL L. BEAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MlDDLlNGS-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 188,333, dated March13, 1877 application filed July 31, 1876. a

marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The drawing is-a longitudinal sectional elevation of amiddlings-purifying machine with my improvements.

Letters when duplicated indicate like parts.

a is a fan. 11 is an open-air trunk. 01 is the feed-hopper. h is a belt.-k is a feed-roller for distributing the material upon the bolt g.

My improvements are as follows: I use a brush, 6, (or several bushes,')traveling upon the upper surface, in combination with a brush (orseveral brushes) traveling upon the under side of the cloth on theshaker g,

whereby the amount of work and the quality thereof are increased andimproved.

The effect of these brushes so arranged and operated upon a shaker is toremove the adhering particles of every kind from bothsides of the cloth,permitting a free escape of the middlingsto be cleaned through thecloth, as well as a freer current of air, by

which the impurities are carried away from] the middlings and a betterand more delicate separation effected.

It enables finer numbers of cloth to be used than with an equal numberof brushes on one side alone, and obtain better results from lesssurface of cloth than by any other known method, as by this arrangementevery mesh of the cloth acted on by the brushes is sure to be kept open.There is also the efl'ect to assist the machine in cleaning the materialwhen, as is frequently the case,.the' motion of the shaker may vary soas to clog the cloth by acting upon the middlings and carrying themalong upon the surface of the cloth,'

while the lower side is kept open and free for their escape. They alsoassist greatly whenv the middlings, from variations in the surface ofthe cloth, or from the effect of strong currents of air drawn by thefan, (which fre-'- quently occurs, causing sort of eddies,) lie thickerupon some spaces than others, by

spreading them out to the required depth on the cloth, for theapplication of the current of air and a proper separation.

I cause my brush 0, (or brushes,) on the upper surface of the cloth ofthe shaker g, to travel by the means shown, or their equivalent, at arate of speed that permits the material to pass between the head andtail of the bolt without being swept on faster than the proper flow ortravel thereof, and yet sufficiently fast for the purpose ofpurification in the best manner, as set forth.

With these, I prefer to use a return-chamber, c, in the air-chamberabove the shakerg, arranged in the manner set forth, so that of thematerial passing through this and any other chanml to the waste-chamberwill be collected only the heavier particles and good middlings.

These return-chambers c are constructed so as to leave the loweredges ofthe partitions a short distance apart at the bottom thereof,

from which bottom point they diverge to-' The air,

ward the top of the air-chamber. passing upward and over the-tops ofsaid chambers, spreads, by reason of the divergence of said partitions,and the heavier particles falling are lodged on the sides of saidpartitions, and by such means collected and utilized, being afterwardrecleaned as they fall of their own Weight in small quantities to theshaker, and so saved and manufactured into good middlings flour.

The machine is moreover provided, 1n combination with the gather-boards,as shown,

with opening i, regulated by slides, as set forth, for the purpose ofenabling such distributionandregulation of the currents of air as may bedesirable upon all parts of the cloth and material to be cleaned, andthereby accomplishing the most perfect separation. The number of theseopenings Imake according to the circumstances of the case inaccomplishing such distribution, and do not mean to always use six, orto be limited therein.

Having described my invention, what I V claim as new, and desire LettersPatent for,

A brush or brushes traveling upon the up, per surface of the cloth on ashaker in a middlings-purifier, in. combination with a brush or brushestraveling upon the under side of the cloth on the same shaker.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL L. BEAN.

Witnesses THOMAS C. GONNOLLY,. HENRY H. BURTON.

